Unfortunately, the Great Lakes suffer from pollution, like many other water bodies around the world. TEACH: Pollution will focus on the causes and affects of Great Lakes pollution as well as the current solutions.

Water Pollution in the Great Lakes
Water pollution is defined as a change in the chemical, physical and biological health of a waterway due to human activity. Ways that humans have affected the quality of the Great Lakes water over the centuries include sewage disposal, toxic contamination through heavy metals and pesticides, overdevelopment of the water's edge, runoff from agriculture and urbanization, and air pollution.

Areas of Concern (AOCs)
The Great Lakes AOCs are environmentally degraded areas around the Great Lakes basin. Find out about the causes of pollution and what is being done to restore and clean up these areas.

Non-native Invasive Species
Over 140 non-native invasive species have become established in and around the Great Lakes since the 1800s. Find out what invasive species are, how they adversely affect the Great Lakes ecosystem and what's being done to prevent and control the spread of these species. Links to distribution maps are also included.

Urban Sprawl
Many communities in the Great Lakes region are feeling the effects of urban sprawl: loss of farmland, destruction of wildlife habitats, loss of community. Learn about sprawl and some current solutions to the problem.

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Do you have a topic that you would like to see covered in this section of TEACH? Please contact askteach@great-lakes.net.